LOS ANGELES >> Well, it wasn’t the trouncing many anticipated the Lakers to endure. They actually had some Christmas cheer to enjoy against the Miami Heat.

Just not enough at the end, and while they endure their second hibernation and rehabilitation of Kobe Bryant, they’re back to trying to find their way with what they have.

Miami allowed the Lakers a taste of it but nothing more in the Heat’s 101-95 victory at Staples Center on Wednesday afternoon.

“We played well, but we couldn’t make the stops and the right plays at the right time,” Lakers center Pau Gasol said. “We played well enough to have a chance and be right there, but we didn’t finish the way we would’ve liked to. They got a couple of offensive rebounds, and they’re a good team. We’re not quite there yet.”

The Lakers made their first point, that they were not about to be embarrassed on their own floor. They even made light of it.

Coach Mike D’Antoni couldn’t help but laugh when it was pointed out that the Heat have a tendency to play down to their competition.

“So you’re saying we have a chance?” D’Antoni said.

Does taking the lead in the fourth quarter mean the Lakers had a chance against the NBA champions? What in the name of Swaggy P was going on?

Nick Young applied his swag as much as he could, Xavier Henry and Jodie Meeks did their part, but in the end the Heat had their own championship cool to separate when it mattered most.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade did their thing, Chris Bosh took over in the second quarter and the Heat did what they needed before James and Wade left the court after hugs and words with the Bryant, who was on the bench in street clothes as he faces at least another month of healing for his fractured left knee.

Wade had 23 points, James had 19 points and eight assists and Bosh finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Heat improved to 22-6.

They were prohibitive favorites over the Lakers, who were given a boost at point guard with the return of Jordan Farmar, but they had no answers defensively when they needed them even after a spirited third-quarter rally, something they couldn’t muster in consecutive losses by a combined 46 points.

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“We definitely weren’t intimidated,” said Meeks, who hit four 3-pointers and scored 17 points. “I thought we played well. A couple breaks here and there we could have made it a game. It happens.

“This is a confident team, this is a resilient team.”

However intrepid the Lakers could be, and Young, Henry and Meeks took turns taking aim at the Heat, it’s not going to help when rookie Ryan Kelly is faced up with James in the fourth quarter. Layup and a foul was the result, for the record.

Young, at times guarding and being guarded by James, made four 3-pointers and led the Lakers with 20 points. Henry had 14, but the Lakers shot only 41.8 percent and had 17 turnovers, five more than the Heat.

Henry’s layup early in the fourth quarter gave the Lakers (13-16) an 81-79 lead. Young’s jumper with 8:25 left made it 83-83, but Wade scored on a feed from Norris Cole and Cole hit a 3-pointer to widen a gap that turned into an nine-point deficit with 3:24 to go.

“Yeah, we’re disappointed, but at the same the last two games we were getting murdered and killed,” Young said. “To come back and fight like that, that’s a step forward.”

Gasol, burned by Bosh for 13 points in the second period, struggled to 13 points but added 13 rebounds. Though the Lakers won the rebounding battle, 47-43, the Heat outscored the Lakers in the paint, 58-26, and they shot 51.3 percent from the field.

“We need to build on the same intensity, effort and concentration we put into today and carry it into the next game,” Gasol said, “and don’t fall back into bad habits the last two games against Golden State and Phoenix.”

The Heat brought their show to Los Angeles in the form of an off-the-backboard pass from Wade for a left-handed dunk by James in the first half.

“I had no clue what I was going to do either,” Wade said. “When you have a guy that can jump the way he jumps and his ability to catch almost anything, it makes it easier for you to just say ‘All right.’ ”

In the second half, Wade avoided a swipe by Farmar to dunk and as he hung suspended from the rim, he glanced at Farmar and shook his head as if to say, “You know better than that.”

“LeBron’s playing out of his mind,” D’Antoni said before the game. “He gets better every year and it’s hard to say that. He’s just above everybody else.”

Bryant, out with a fracture in his left knee, spent the entire game on the bench, coaching and prodding his teammates. He said before the game it’s tough to watch while he heals, but his resolve remains steadfast despite the criticism he hears.

“It’s the same old tune,” Bryant said. “It’s just being sung a little more loudly now. Those types of things just help me lock in more than ever.

“My spirits are fine. I think I feel more locked in now than I’ve been my entire career because of it. The spirits are fine, the focus is great, we’re just going to have to see what happens when I come back.”

What will the Lakers need to be by then to remain competitive in the playoff race? They refuse to take the long view. They go on the road to face Utah on Friday, then return for four home games.

“We’ll do our best,” Gasol said. “We’ll take it one game at a time. We can’t get too ahead of ourselves.

“The main thing is understanding it takes effort, intensity, communication and teamwork to be successful.”